Carousel aligning apparatus

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is vending apparatus which includes a rotatable carousel for holding objects to be dispensed therefrom when the carousel is in any one of a plurality of different vending positions. The apparatus further includes a substantially circular index plate having a plurality of spaced slots each corresponding to a different vending position and each extending from near the center of the plate radially outward therefrom. Each slot has a substantially uniform width from near the center of the plate to a point near the perimeter thereof from which point the slot gradually widens to define a wedge-shaped introduction to the slot. The index plate is coupled to the carousel so that as the carousel is rotated the index plate is also rotated. The apparatus further includes a dispensing mechanism manually operable to dispense an object from the carousel. This dispensing mechanism includes an arm disposed near the perimeter of the index plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the index plate. As the dispensing mechanism is operated, the arm is caused to move toward the center of the index plate and to either engage the perimeter of the plate and prevent the complete operation of the dispensing mechanism (if the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position) or to engage a side of the introduction to a slot to cause rotation of the index plate and carousel into a vending position and enable complete operation of the dispenser mechanism (if the carousel is within that certain angular distance of a vending position).

United States Patent [19] Smith [5 1 CAROUSEL ALIGNING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: John D. Smith, Medford, NJ.

{73] Assignee: Wellman lndustries, Longview, Tex. 221 Filed: May 1, 1972- [211 App]. No.: 249,313

Vollten 221/121 Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner- H. Grant Skaggs, Jr. Attorney-Giles C. Clegg, Jr. et a1.

[57 ABSTRACT Disclosed is vending apparatus which includes a rotatable carousel for holding objects to be dispensed therefrom when the carousel is in any one of a plural- 1 Jan. 15, 1974 ity of different vending-positions. The apparatus further includes a substantially circular index plate having a plurality of spaced slots each corresponding to a different vending position and each extending from near the center of the plate radially outward therefrom. Each slot has a substantially uniform width from near the center of the plate to a point near the perimeter thereof from which point the slot gradually widens to define a wedge-shaped introduction to the slot. The index plate is coupled to the carousel so that as the carousel is rotated the index plate is also rotated. The apparatus further includes a dispensing mechanism manually operable to dispense an object from the carousel. This dispensing-mechanism includes an arm disposed near the perimeter of the index plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the index plate. As the dispensing mechanism is operated, the arm is caused to move toward the center of the index plate and to either engage the perimeter of the plate and prevent the complete operation of the dispensing mechanism (if the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position) or to engage a side of the introduction to a slot to cause rotation of the index plate and carousel into a vending position and enable complete operation of the dispenser mechanism (if the carousel is within that certain angular distance of a vending position 9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures AIEMED M QM 3,1855% sum an? 2 CAROUSEL ALIGNING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to vending apparatus which includes a rotatable carousel from which vendable objects are dispensed.

There exists a variety of vending machines from which a customer can obtain a desired product by self-operation of the machine. The types of such machines range from simple mechanical versions to move elaborate electrically controlled versions. The object of all such machines, however, is to present a simple procedure by which a customer can obtain a desired product from the machine and at the same time to provide a reliable operation and ease of maintenance.

One type of vending apparatus being widely used today because of its low cost utilizes a rotatable carousel from which products are dispensed. The carousel in such apparatus typically includes a plurality of longitudinal guides vertically disposed in a circle to form a multi-sided cylinder, each guide being arranged to hold a plurality of products stacked one on top of the other. Selection of a particular product from such apparatus is carried out by rotating the carousel to align the guide SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide inexpensive but reliable vending apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carousel-type vending machine in which small misalignments of the carousel are automatically corrected upon operation of a dispensing mechanism.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a machine whichincludes apparatus for preventing operation of the dispensing mechanism and therefore the jamming thereof when the carousel is misaligned by more than a certain amount.

These and other objects of the present invention are realized in a specific illustrative embodiment which includes a rotatable carousel from which objects may be dispensed when the carousel is rotated to any one of a plurality of different vending positions, a dispensing mechanism operable to eject products contained in the carousel, apparatus for preventing operation of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position, and apparatus for causing the carousel to rotate to a vending position as the dispensing mechanism is operated when the carousel is within that certain angular distance to a vending position to thereby enable complete operation of the dispensing mechanism. With this embodiment, no misalignment of any kind will result in jamming of the dispensing mechanism and certain misalignments are automatically corrected so that the dispensing operation can be completed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A complete understanding of the present invention and of the above and other objects and advantages thereof may be gained from a consideration of the following detailed descriptionv of a specific illustrative embodiment presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I shows a perspective view of a vending apparatus made in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show a side elevational view of such vending apparatus with the feeler mechanism in a different position in each FIG.;

FIG. 3 shows a front elevational view of such vending apparatus; and 7 FIGS. 4A and 4B show top plan views of such vending apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The specific illustrative embodiment of vending apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 through 4 includes a support frame 2 on which the other components of the apparatus are mounted. The support frame 2 would typically be located in an attractive vending machine cabinet for housing the apparatus and products to be dispensed.- The support frame 2 includes a substantially flat rectangular plate 2, one side of which is bent to form a right angle portion 4. Two other portions 6 are similarly bent to form integral right angle extensions of the plate 2 as best shown in FIGS. 1A, 3 and 4A.

A carousel, generally designated by the numeral 10, is mounted on a vertically disposed shaft 12 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted on the support frame 2. (See FIG. 2A). The shaft 12 extends through an opening in the support frame 2 to the under side thereof. Mounted on that end of the shaft extending through the frame 2 is a drive pulley l4 oriented to rotate (with the shaft) in a plane substantially perpendicular with the axis of rotation of the shaft. A generally circular index plate 16 is also mounted on the shaft 12 above the frame 2 and below the carousel 10. The plane defined by the index plate 16 is substantially perpendicular. with the axis of the shaft 12. A cylindrical spacer 18 is located between the carousel 10 and index. plate 16 to maintain separation between the two. A nut 20 is screwed onto a threaded end 22 of the shaft 12 to secure the carousel 10 against the spacer l8. Thrust bearings 13 are mounted on either surface of the support frame 2 and fitted about the shaft 12. Bearings 13, together with the thrust bearing 15 mounted on the under surface of the index plate 16 and fitted about the shaft 12, rotationally secure the shaft 12, index plate 16 and carousel 10 to the support frame 2. A bracket 17, mounted on the under surface of the support frame 2 and fitted about the end of the shaft 12, provides additional support for the shaft 12. As the index plateand carousel assembly is rotated, thrust bearing 15 rides'on the uppermost one of the thrust bearings 13 tomaintain the assembly in spaced relation above the support frame 2.

The carousel 10 includes a circular base plate 24 which is in direct contact with the shaft 12 and spacer 18. The carousel also includes a plurality of longitudinal guides28 vertically disposed about the perimeter of the plate 24 and mounted thereon (only one such guide is shown in the -FIGS.). Products 29 to be dispensed from the vending apparatus are "stacked on top of each other in the guides, with the bottom-most item resting on two horizontally spaced supports 30. Each guide includes two spaced parallel track members 32 for receiving opposite ends of a product to thereby prevent lateral movement of the product in the guide. Each track member has a generally U-shaped cross-section and is disposed so that the opening of the track member faces the opening of the corresponding track member. A portion of the outer side wall of each track member is cut away to allow the bottom-most product in the corresponding guide to be'dispensed from the guide. This cut-away portion has a dimension sufficient to allow only the bottom-most product to be dispensed from the guidethe side walls of the tract members preventing other than one product from being dispensed. Flexible leaves 34 attached to the outer side walls of the track members and extending downwardly toward the supports 30 prevent the bottom-most product from sliding out of the guide until forced to do so by ejection prongs 36 as will be described later. When the product is forced outwardly from a guide and against the leaves 34, the leaves flex and allow the product to slide through the openings in the side walls of the track members 32 and off the supports 30 (the product would be moved to the right in FIG. 2A). This configuration is well-known in the prior art.

The index plate 16 has a plurality of slots 40 extending from near the center of the plate 16 radially outward therefrom. Each slot has a substantially uniform width from its termination near the center of the plate 16 to a point near the perimeter'of the plate 16 from which point the slot gradually widens to define a wedge-shaped introduction to the slot. The number of slots equals the number of product guides 28 with each slot corresponding to a different one of the guides. As will become clear later, the index plate 16 and the location of the slots therein provide for controlling alignment of the carousel and the dispensing of products.

The disclosed vending apparatus also includes a manually operable dispensing mechanism comprising an ejector frame 44 slidably mounted on a pair of spaced parallel shafts 46 and 48. The shafts 46 and 48 are, in turn, mounted near either side of the support frame 2 by inserting the shafts through openings in portions 4 and 6 of the support frame as best shown in FIG. 2 (for one shaft). Spring clips 50 are placed on the shafts 46 and 48 on either side of the portion 4 of the support frame 2 to prevent the shafts from sliding longitudinally in the openings into which they are inserted.

The ejector frame 44 comprises a substantially flat plate having a generally rectangular shape and having a large opening on the central portion thereof as shown for example in FIG. 1. The front and back edge portions 54 and 52 respectively of the plate 44 are upturned to fonn right angles with the rest of the frame. The frame 44 includes another integrally formed upturned tab 56 oriented generally parallel to the upturned portion 54 and spaced therefrom a certain distance toward the center of the frame 44. The function of tab 56 will be described later. The upturned portions 54 and 52 have openings therein through which the shafts 46 and 48 are inserted. These openings are of sufficient size and shape to allow the ejector frame 44 to be slid between a reset position (shown in FIG. 4A) and an eject position (FIG. 4B shows the ejector frame 44 moved from the reset position toward the ejection position). Stops 60 and 62 are mounted on the-shafts 46 and 48 respectively and on either side of the upturned portion 54 to define the limits between which the ejector frame 44 may be operated, i.e., the ejector frame 44 may not be operated toward the eject position beyond the position of stop 62 and toward the reset position beyond the position of stop 60. Each stop may comprise a simple collar circumscribing a corresponding shaft and tightened thereon by means of a screw inserted in a threaded bore directed radially inward through the collar toward the shaft.

Affixed substantially midway between the shafts 46 and 48 on the rear upturned edge portion 52 of the frame 44 is an inverted L-shaped mounting bracket 64 (FIG. 2A). The mounting bracket 64 is affixed to the ejector frame 44 to provide a horizontal mounting platform on which a vertically disposed arm 66 is mounted. The arm 66 extends from a point below the plane defined by the index plate 16 to a point above that plane in a direction substantially perpendicular therewith. When the ejector frame 44 is in the rest position (FIG. 4A), the arm 66 is positioned just beyond the perimeter of the index plate 16. As the ejector frame 44 is slid along the shafts 46 and 48 toward the eject position (e.g., by means of a pull knob not shown), the arm 66 will be carried toward the center of the index plate 16. If the index plate 16 is rotated to a position where the wedge-shaped introduction to a slot 40 lies in the path to be traversed by the arm 66, the ejector frame 44 will be allowed to slide to the full eject position (i.e., to be fully operated) with the arm 66 moving into the slot. On the other hand, if the index plate 16 is rotated to a position where no wedge-shaped introduction to a slot 40 lies in the path of the arm 66, the ejector frame 44 will be prevented from being operated because the arm 66 will engage and be stopped by the perimeter of the index plate.

As indicated earlier, each slot 40 corresponds to a different carousel guide 28 and when that slot coincides with the path to be traversed by the arm 66, the corresponding guide will be in a so-called vending position (the position from which products may be dispensed from the guide upon operation of the ejector frame 44). If the index plate 16 and carousel 10, al-

4 though not precisely in a vending position, are within a certain angular distance of one so that the wedgeshaped introduction to a slot lies in the path of the arm 66, operation of the ejector frame 44 will effect a correction of any misalignment of the index plate and carousel. This is accomplished by the arm 66 contacting a side of the wedge-shaped introduction to a slot and sliding therealong to cause the index plate 16 to rotate as the arm is moved toward the center of the index plate. This may be understood by referring to FIG. 4A, which shows a slot 40a not fully aligned with the arm 66. If the ejector frame 44 were operated by sliding it to the right, the arm 66 would contact the side of the introduction to the slot 40a and slide therealong causing the index plate 16 to rotate clockwise until the arm 66 entered that portion of the slot having a uniform width. When the arm 66 enters that portion of the slot having a uniform width, the index plate and carousel are properly aligned. Of course, if the index plate and carousel are not within that certain angular distance of a vending position, sliding the ejector frame 44 toward the eject position will result in the arm 66 contacting the perimeter of the index plate 16 thereby preventing full operation of the ejector frame.

Rotational positioning of the carousel to select the guide containing a desired product is effected by means of a selection knob 70. The knob 70 is rigidly mounted on the end of the shaft 46 so that when the knob is rotated the shaft 46 is caused to rotate. A drive pulley 72 is mounted on the shaft 46 at a location constituting substantially the closest approach made by the shaft 46 to the shaft 12. A flexible belt 74 drivingly interconnects the pulley 72 and 14 so that as the shaft 46 is rotated, the pulley 14 and thus the index plate 16 and carousel 10 are also rotated.

Once the carousel 10 is properly aligned, operation of the ejector frame 44 causes a product to be dispensed from that guide occupying the vending position (providing, of course, that the guide contains a product). This ejection process may best be explained by referring to FIGS. 2 and 3. The ejector frame 44 includes the pair of prongs 36 (referred to earlier) which are mounted on the upturned edge portion 54 of the frame 44 and which extend vertically upward a certain distance and then horizontally-inward toward the apparatus as shown in FIG. 2A. As indicated in FIG. 3, the

prongs 36 are positioned so that as the ejector frame 44 is operated, the prongs are caused to move between the track members 32 of the guide 28 occupying the vending position. As the ejector frame 44 is slid toward the eject position (to the right in FIG. 2A), the prongs 36 engage and force the bottom-most product contained in the guide to slide off the supports 30 into a receptacle (not shown) from which the product may be retrieved. The horizontal extensions of the prongs 36 support the stack of products remaining in the guide and prevent it from dropping until after the ejector frame 44 is returned to its rest position.

If the guide occupying the vending position contains no products, a feeler mechanism, generally designated by numeral 80, detects this condition and prevents operation of the ejector frame 44. The feeler mechanism 30 comprises a counter-balanced lever member 82 pivotally mounted on a support beam 84. The support beam 84 has a U-shaped cross-section to form a channel in which the lever member 82 is mounted. The support beam 84 is secured at one end of the support frame 2 so that the beam extends horizontally therefrom below the plane defined by the index plate 16 and between eject prongs 36. The channel of the beam 84 faces downwardly. The lever member 82 has two oppositely extending lateral pins which are fitted into openings in the side walls of the beam 84 to provide a fulcrum about which the lever member pivots. The lever member 82 further includes a feeler arm 86 which extends from the free end of the beam 84 upwardly and outwardly from a point near the fulcrum of the lever member 82. The member 82 also includes an extension 88 directed from the fulcrum of the lever member 82 generally toward the center of the vending apparatus. An arm 90, mounted on the extension 88, extends generally upwardly therefrom through an opening in the upper wall of the beam 84 to a point above the plane defined by the index plate l6 and near the perimeter of the index plate 16.

When the index plate 16 and carousel 10 are in a vending position, a slot 40 of the index plate coincides with thepath of pivotal movement of the arm 90 so that 6 the index plate does not inhibit movement of the arm 90. In such a position, the lever member 82 is free to pivot about its fiilcrum such that the extension 88 moves downwardly and the feeler arm 86 moves upwardly. If a product is in the guide 28 occupying the vending position, the feeler arm 86 contacts the bottom surface of the product thereby preventing further pivoting of the lever member 82 and leaving the extension 88 in a slightly raised position so that upon operation of the ejector frame 44, the upturned tab 56 moves under the extension 88 marking no contact therewith (FIG. 2B). Thus, when the guide occupying the vending position contains a product, the ejector frame 44 may be freely operated to dispense a product from the guide.

If the guide occupying the vending position does not contain a product, the feeler arm 86 is caused to pivot upwardly between the track members 82 of the guide until the feeler arm 86 abutts against the end of the upper wall of the support beam 84 preventing further pivoting action of the lever member 82 (FIG. 2C). In this position, the extension 88 is pivoted downwardly to a point where it occupys the normal path of movement of the tab 56. Thus, if an attempt is'made to operate the ejector frame 44, the tab 56 contacts the extension 88 and prevents complete operation of the ejector frame. The purpose of this is that coin control apparatus generally keys on the operation of the dispensing mechanism and if the dispensing mechanism were allowed to operate when there were no product to be dispensed, the customers coin would be retained by the coin control apparatus even though no product would be dispensed. The feeler mechanism thus provides a simple means of detecting the presence or absence of a product in the guide occupying the vending position and respectively allowing or preventing operation of the ejector frame 44.

When the index plate 16 is rotated from one vending position to another, the side of the wedge-shaped introduction to the slot into which the arm 90 has pivoted contacts the arm 90 forcing it outwardly and causing the lever member 82 to pivot and lower the feeler arm 86 away from the guide 28 (FIG. 2A). In this manner, the carousel may be rotated without interferrence from the feeler arm 86. FIG. 2 shows the arm 90 engaging the perimeter of the index plate 16 so that the feeler arm 86 is maintained out of the path traversed by the guide 28 as the carousel 10 is rotated.

It is clear from the above description of one illustrative embodiment of the present invention that'numerous alternative embodiments and modifications could be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The appended claims are intended to cover all such apparent and obvious modifications,

I claim: I I. In combination in vending apparatus which includes a dispensing mechanism and a rotatable carousel from which objects are dispensed when the carousel is rotated to any one of a pluralityof different vending positions and the dispensing mechanism is moved with respect to said carousel, aligning apparatus including means rotatable with said carousel for preventing movement of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position,

means rotatable with said carousel for allowing movement of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is in a vending position, and

means moveable with said dispensing mechanism for causing the carousel to rotate to a vending position as the dispensing mechanism is moved when the carousel is within said certain angular distance of a vending position. 2. In combination in vending apparatus which includes a dispensing mechanism and a rotatable carousel from which objects are dispensed when the carousel is rotated to any one of a plurality of different vending positions and the dispensing mechanism is operated, aligning apparatus including a substantially circular index plate having a plurality of spaced slots each corresponding to a different vending position and each extending from near the center of the plate radially outward therefrom, the width of each slot being substantially uniform from the termination of the slot at near the center of the plate to a point near the perimeter thereof and then widening to form a generally wedge-shaped introduction to the slot,

means coupling said index plate to the carousel so that as either is rotated, the other is rotated in concert therewith,

an arm disposed near the perimeter defined by the index plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the index plate,

said arm being caused to move toward the center of the index plate as the dispensing mechanism is operated so as to engage the perimeter of the plate and prevent the complete operation of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position, and said arm being causedto engage the side of the wedge-shaped introduction to a slot, as the dispensing mechanism is operated, to cause rotation of the index plate and carousel to a vending position and enable the complete operation of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is within said certain angular distance of a vending position. 3. A combination as in claim 2 further including a feeler arm balanced to pivot upwardly to a first position to engage the bottom surface of an object contained in a vending location in the carousel when the carousel is in a vending position and to pivot upwardly to a second position above said first position if no object is contained in the vending location when the carousel is in the vending position, means coupled to said feeler arm and responsive to the rotation of said index plate from one vending position to another causing said feeler arm to pivot downwardly away from the carousel, and means coupled to said feeler arm for preventing the operation of the dispensing mechanism when the feeler arm is in the second position.

4. A combination as in claim 2 wherein said arm is mounted on the dispensing mechanism to move as the dispensing mechanism is operated.

5. A combination as in claim 2 further including a vertically disposed shaft on which the carousel and index plate are mounted, said shaft providing a common axis of rotation for the carousel and index plate as the shaft is rotated.

6. Vending apparatus including a support frame,

a carousel rotatably mounted on the support frame for containing objects to be dispensed therefrom when the carousel is rotatably positioned in any one of a plurality of vending positions,

dispensing apparatus manually operable to eject objects from the carousel, said apparatus including first and second shafts mounted in parallel on the support frame and an ejector frame mounted on said shafts to slide between a-rest and an eject position,

a substantially circular index plate coupled to the carousel and rotatable therewith, said index plate having a plurality of spaced slots each corresponding to a different vending position and each extending from near the center of the plate radially outward therefrom, the width of each slot being substantially uniform from the termination of the slot near the center of the index plate to a point near the perimeter thereof and then gradually widening to form a generally wedge-shaped introduction to the slot,

an arm vertically mounted on the ejector frame, said arm being positioned relative to the index plate so that as the ejector frame is moved from the rest position toward the eject position, the arm is moved toward the center of the index plate,

said arm engaging the perimeter of the index plate to prevent further movement of the ejector frame if the index plate is over a certain angular distance from a vending position, and

said arm moving into a slot if the index plate is within said certain angular distance of the index position corresponding to that slot.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said carousel includes a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said support frame, a plurality of vertically disposed longitudinal guides spaced about said shaft and mounted thereon, each corresponding to a different vending position for containing a plurality of objects stacked on top of one another,

wherein the dispensing apparatus engages the bottom-most object in a guide to eject it therefrom as the ejector frame is slid from the rest position to the eject position causing the stack of objects to move downward in the guide to fill the gap left by the ejected object,

wherein said index plate is mounted on said vertically disposed shaft to rotate therewith,

said apparatus further including a feeler mechanism comprising a feeler arm balanced to pivot upwardly to a first position to contact the bottom surface of a bottom-most object in the guide corresponding to the vending position to which the carousel is rotated, and to pivot upwardly to a second position above the first position if no object is contained in the guide corresponding to the vending position to which the carousel is rotated,

said feeler mechanism further comprising means for engaging said ejector frame to prevent movement thereof from the rest position to the eject position when said feeler arm is in the second position.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said feeler mechanism further comprises a substantially vertical extension disposed at the perimeter of said index plate to engage the sides of the wedge-shaped introduction to said slots and the perimeter of said index plate and thereby cause said feeler arm to pivot downwardly away from said guides as said carousel and index plate are rotated.

9. Apparatus as in claim 6 further including means coupling one of said parallel shafts to said carousel for causing said carousel to rotate as said one parallel shaft is rotated. 

1. In combination in vending apparatus which includes a dispensing mechanism and a rotatable carousel from which objects are dispensed when the carousel is rotated to any one of a plurality of different vending positions and the dispensing mechanism is moved with respect to said carousel, aligning apparatus including means rotatable with said carousel for preventing movement of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position, means rotatable with said carousel for allowing movement of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is in a vending position, and means moveable with said dispensing mechanism for causing the carousel to rotate to a vending position as the dispensing mechanism is moved when the carousel is within said certain angular distance of a vending position.
 2. In combination in vending apparatus which includes a dispensing mechanism and a rotatable carousel from which objects are dispensed when the carousel is rotated to any one of a plurality of different vending positions and the dispensing mechanism is operated, aligning apparatus including a substantially circular index plate having a plurality of spaced slots each corresponding to a different vending position and each extending from near the center of the plate radially outward therefrom, the width of each slot being substantially uniform from the termination of the slot at near the center of the plate to a point near the perimeter thereof and then widening to form a generally wedge-shaped introduction to the slot, means coupling said index plate to the carousel so that as either is rotated, the other is rotated in concert therewith, an arm disposed near the perimeter defined by the index plate and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the index plate, said arm being caused to move toward the center of the index plate as the dispensing mechanism is operated so as to engage the perimeter of the plate and prevent the complete operation of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is not within a certain angular distance of a vending position, and said arm being caused to engage the side of the wedge-shaped introduction to a slot, as the dispensing mechanism is operated, to cause rotation of the index plate and carousel to a vending position and enable the complete operation of the dispensing mechanism when the carousel is within said certain angular distance of a vending position.
 3. A combination as in claim 2 further including a feeler arm balanced to pivot upwardly to a first position to engage the bottom surface of an object contained in a vending location in the carousel when the carousel is in a vending position and to pivot upwardly to a second position above said first position if no object is contained in the vending location when the carousel is in the vending position, means coupled to said feeler arm and responsive to the rotation of said index plate from one vending position to another causing said feeler arm to pivot downwardly away from the carousel, and means coupled to said feeler arm for preventing the operation of the dispensing mechanism when the feeler arm is in the second position.
 4. A combination as in claim 2 wherein said arm is mounted on the dispensing mechanism to move as the dispensing mechanism is operated.
 5. A combination as in claim 2 further including a vertically disposed shaft on which the carousel and index plate are mounted, said shaft providing a common axis of rotation for the carousel and index plate as the shaft is rotated.
 6. Vending apparatus including a support frame, a carousel rotatably mounted on the support frame for containing objects to be dispensed therefrom when the carousel is rotatably positioned in any one of a plurality of vending positions, dispensing apparatus manually operable to eject objects from the carousel, said apparatus including first and second shafts mounted in parallel on the support frame and an ejector frame mounted on said shafts to slide between a rest and an eject position, a substantially circular index plate coupled to the carousel and rotatable therewith, said index plate having a plurality of spaced slots each corresponding to a different vending position and each extending from near the center of the plate radially outward therefrom, the width of each slot being substantially uniform from the termination of the slot near the center of the index plate to a point near the perimeter thereof and then gradually widening to form a generally wedge-shaped introduction to the slot, an arm vertically mounted on the ejector frame, said arm being positioned relative to the index plate so that as the ejector frame is moved from the rest position toward the eject position, the arm is moved toward the center of the index plate, said arm engaging the perimeter of the index plate to prevent further movement of the ejector frame if the index plate is over a certain angular distance from a vending position, and said arm moving into a slot if the index plate is within said certain angular distance of the index position corresponding to that slot.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said carousel includes a vertically disposed shaft rotatably mounted on said support frame, a plurality of vertically disposed longitudinal guides spaced about said shaft and mounted thereon, each corresponding to a different vending position for containing a plurality of objects stacked on top of one another, wherein the dispensing apparatus engages the bottom-most object in a guide to eject it therefrom as the ejector frame is slid from the rest position to the eject position causing the stack of objects to move downward in the guide to fill the gap left by the ejected object, wherein said index plate is mounted on said vertically disposed shaft to rotate therewith, said apparatus further including a feeler mechanism comprising a feeler arm balancEd to pivot upwardly to a first position to contact the bottom surface of a bottom-most object in the guide corresponding to the vending position to which the carousel is rotated, and to pivot upwardly to a second position above the first position if no object is contained in the guide corresponding to the vending position to which the carousel is rotated, said feeler mechanism further comprising means for engaging said ejector frame to prevent movement thereof from the rest position to the eject position when said feeler arm is in the second position.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said feeler mechanism further comprises a substantially vertical extension disposed at the perimeter of said index plate to engage the sides of the wedge-shaped introduction to said slots and the perimeter of said index plate and thereby cause said feeler arm to pivot downwardly away from said guides as said carousel and index plate are rotated.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 6 further including means coupling one of said parallel shafts to said carousel for causing said carousel to rotate as said one parallel shaft is rotated. 